Animals are generally more scared of you than you of them. They are also aware of your presence well before you have any idea they are there. With that being said you still need to run intelligent. No head phones!!

For starters, if you think you'll be alone on the trail, get a bear bell to avoid surprise. Also, don't run at dawn or dusk.

Does the area have black bear or grizzlies? You are supposed to respond differently based on species. I only deal with black bear. I carry bear spray, but not as often as I should. I have yet to find a holster that keeps it from bouncing to my satisfaction, but you ultrarunners have cool vests that might accomplish the purpose. Figure out where you can carry the spray that won't bounce but is easily accessible. I posted about spray under trail running (check it out, I got a lot of helpful info), and another runner educated me about bear bangers (an alternative to spray). I will sometimes run with bear spray in my hand, but I hate to do anything other than long slow runs with it because I believe it changes my form. Bear spray has to reach a greater distance than pepper spray, so it's bigger and heavier.

I've run into black bear 4 times. If you encounter a black bear, stop, face it, and make some noise. You should never run from bear or cougar. On most occasions, the bear check me out for about 30-60 seconds, then disappear into the brush.

Cougar will generally not attack because they identify humans as a non-food source (unless they are starving and you are small like me). If they do, they typically come from behind and there's not much you can do other than fight back.

You might also check the Fish & Game dept where you're headed for safety tips. Alaska has a collection of information.

In certain areas I'll carry current bear spray (usually has 3 yr shelf life) either on waist belt or in one of my water bottle holders. If I see something or sense something, I'll have it out in my hand.

And don't forget about moose. They can stomp you and break bones or kill you.

If you have a dog with you, hope it doesn't antagonize the wildlife and come running back to you with the wildlife in hot pursuit.

Least dangerous wildlife are those encountered in the wild. The most dangerous are those used to urbanized areas.

That said, both cougars and bears are insanely curious so its always possible to see them when out as they will 'check out' noises etc. Mostly though, encounters are by surprise. We have numerous cougar sightings in our area though I've never seen one. Bears (black bears in our area) don't even make the radar anymore they're so common unless in urban areas (we had one living in a tree in our back yard for a week one summer...just a little guy, we gave him his space and he eventually moved on: didn't like our dogs).

I do not run with any extra items. For a race/event especially I wouldn't worry. Wildlife tend to stay away from human smells. So unless your the 1st runner on the trail, the scent left behind from other runners during the event will likely deter them off the trail. They may sit at a distance and observe but very unlikely they will approach.

As mentioned, generally only starving cougars (or bears) will attack so time of year for the race may also factor in.

My 20 yr old son is leaving on foot TODAY from Red Lodge, Montana to spend a month alone in the wilderness, mostly in Yellowstone. He needs to watch out for Grizzlies. Attacks by black bears are pretty much unheard of. Attacks by cougars are very rare and almost never on large people (he's 6-6. 220).

The main thing the guides tell you is to make noise as you hike/run so you don't surprise the bear. Also bears almost never attack a group. If you are attacked and it has you down, play dead. Unless it grabs you in your tent, in which case it's trying to eat you and you need to fight back.

My 20 yr old son is leaving on foot TODAY from Red Lodge, Montana to spend a month alone in the wilderness, mostly in Yellowstone. He needs to watch out for Grizzlies. Attacks by black bears are pretty much unheard of. Attacks by cougars are very rare and almost never on large people (he's 6-6. 220).

The main thing the guides tell you is to make noise as you hike/run so you don't surprise the bear. Also bears almost never attack a group. If you are attacked and it has you down, play dead. Unless it grabs you in your tent, in which case it's trying to eat you and you need to fight back.

You can find these tips online many places.

"play dead with bears" not completely true.

Grizzly's you play dead, black bears (which are rampant in Squamish) you fight. They will eat you alive and fresh (while Grizzlies like decayed meat).

We have had issues with cougars over the last 3-4 years and one incident of a 3-yo being attacked, their mother fought it off). Pretty much all of the aggressive situations the cougars were emaciated. This years I have only heard of an aggressive Bobcat so far. By this time in the summer wildlife should be well fed.

I heard that there is a kind of survival whistle, it is called big storm or something, it can make crazy loud noise, will something like that scares those animals away? or it will make them more angry?

GC100K, two years ago, I went to Yellowstone, though I never spotted any bears of any kind, a hiker was killed by a grizzly bear on the same day I was there. Your son should definitely bring protection with him at Yellowstone, as it is very remote for many of the places and there are rarely any park rangers around in the non tourist spots.

I've only once been alone in an area where bears are occasionally (rarely) present. I did a jog in a hiking / cross country state park in NW Wisconsin on a business trip, and I was lucky enough to not encounter any bears.

Normally, the worst I have to deal with is skunks, and occasionally racoons and coyotes.

Unless you plan on carrying at least a .38 with you on your run, you ain't gonna be able to protect yourself against a bear or cougar. If you really think the risk is that great, which in some areas it is, then I would strongly consider carrying a handgun.

They make "compact" .45's. I would use a hollow point defense round so you can get the most knock down power. Those will be easy to find.

They also make bear pepper spray, so that is an option. I'd at least carry something like that.

I lived in CO for 11 years. When I went hunting in the mountains one of the hunters I went with (as I wasn't 18 at the time) carried some sort of handgun with them. I'm a bow hunter so if I ever needed to hunt up there again I'd carry.

I've actually been out hiking with my nephew and we stopped to eat and we actually heard a bear snorting at us. Needless to say every hair on my body stood straight up and we left lol. These animals usually see you and take off. The snort we got was a "ugh you people are disturbing my peace and now I will leave" snort. However the concern with running is that the way you are running into them is by running at them. They may not respond so favorably.

There is always a risk of running into predetors, but I think unless you are in a place like CO, WY, MT etc. I wouldn't be overly concerned about it. I think some bear mace is enough to have with you as well as some training on what to do in case one of these animals happens to see you. I agree with a lot of the other advice you got, no head phones, be aware of your surroundings, run with a slower buddy lol.

If you are in some place that has a lot of bears and big cats... I'd be packin haha.

Unless you plan on carrying at least a .38 with you on your run, you ain't gonna be able to protect yourself against a bear or cougar. If you really think the risk is that great, which in some areas it is, then I would strongly consider carrying a handgun.

....

EDIT: Just saw that you said the race was in BC.

Kimber makes a nice .45

haha

First off, I can't wait to hear the story about how the OP's border crossing goes.

Then, I'd be interested in hearing how the race organizer and other participates respond when he shows up with a gun strapped to his hip (assuming he's able to smuggle the gun into Canada). Don't give us Canadians any more ammo (ha, pun intended) to mock Americans and their guns.

Suck it up. When in Canada...

(PS: on a serious note, if you're really worried I would look into a small can of bear spray though I've only ever found the large ones sold in the hunting departments (I used to do field work and carry spray and/or a bear banger). Also, check in on the local FB trail running page a couple of weeks before the race and see if there's been any bear/cougar sightings. Usually people post if there's been any aggressive behaviour. Honestly though I wouldn't worry about it. There will be so many people on those trails...

Speaking of bears, I had a pleasant surprise on my bike ride on Tuesday when I saw a small black bear on the side of the road just on the outskirts of Squamish...curious little fellow since I came across a number of people posting that they too had seen him.)

First off, I can't wait to hear the story about how the OP's border crossing goes.

Then, I'd be interested in hearing how the race organizer and other participates respond when he shows up with a gun strapped to his hip (assuming he's able to smuggle the gun into Canada). Don't give us Canadians any more ammo (ha, pun intended) to mock Americans and their guns.